Old Ways
by Crazy Hyper Gleek
Summary: Lily and James of the most noble and ancient house of Potter had two children. We have all heard of Harry James, their youngest. But what happened to their eldest, their baby girl? Full Summary inside. Chapter 4 fixed.
1. America

Summary: Lily and James of the most noble and ancient house of Potter had two children. We have all heard of Harry James, their youngest. But what happened to their eldest, their baby girl? This is the story of what happened, and how the lives of those in the Order of the Phoenix changed when she comes back to England at 17 during the summer Harry turns 13. Will eventually be HP/SB and RL/?

A/N: This is something that has been going through my head nonstop. I had to share. I know it has been done before, but not like this. I hope. Maybe it has been. If so, I am sorry. I am going to be doing lots of updates, so keep checking for updates!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else you recogize. They belong to the lovely J.K.

**Old Ways**

Chapter One: America

Lily Potter nee Evans looked down at the small bundle in her arms mournfully. She didn't want to do this. It broke her heart. No mother should ever have to give up a child. No one else would understand. No one else would be okay with this. If they knew what she was doing… But no, no one would ever find out. Especially not James or Remus. If James knew she was giving up his baby girl, he would never forgive her. Although he was happy she was pregnant with a little boy, his little girl was his pride and joy. She had never seen him so happy as the day their little girl, his little girl really, was born. And now here she was, not even four years latter, giving that little girl up…

And don't even get her started about Remus. If the man knew... Lily shivered in fright. It wouldn't be pretty, that was for sure. The man looked after his goddaughter as fiercely as if she was his own cub. Sometimes, Lily wondered if the man had a connection with the child that she and James knew nothing about, but she knew he would tell her first. Though he was best friends with her husband, Lily and Remus had always been close confidantes. And yet, here she was, keeping this a secret. Keeping the fact that her daughter was alive a secret. Here she was sneaking around, trying to keep her baby girl safe.

"Momma?" the little bundle stirred in Lily's arms. Lily shushed her daughter and whipped her head around, checking to make sure no one had noticed them.

"Yes sweetie?" Lily asked as she turned a corner and hurried towards their destination.

"Why do I have to go away?" the small child asked as she snuggled into the warmth of her mother's arms.

"Because you won't be safe at home." Lily choked out, having a hard enough time giving away her little girl.

"But can't Papa and Remy and Uncle Siri and you keep me safe?" she asked, voice full of innocence.

"No baby, we can't." tear threatened to spill from Lily eyes as they turned yet another corner and ducked into a doorway. She hastened up the stairs, stumbling when her cloak caught a loose nail.

"Why?" Lily loved her daughters keen, questioning mind, but it was making things difficult at the moment.

"Because your brother has a very bad man after him." Lily explained gently.

"My brother in your belly?" the little girl asked quizzically. Lily nodded.

"A very bad man. And if he knew you were still alive, he would try to hurt you. So you have to go with your Aunt Kimmy, and stay with her. And when you turn 11 and it is time for you to go to school, she will give you a letter explaining everything. When you turn 17, you are going to come home. But you have to pretend your last name is Malloy. You have to pretend Aunt Kimmy is your Mommy. You love Aunt Kimmy, don't you?"

"Yes, but I love you and Papa and Remy and Uncle Siri." Lily's daughters lower lip trembled, her voice cracked. Lily sighed. Yes, her daughter would miss herself and the Marauders, but ultimately, it would be for her daughters own good.

"I know sweets. But you need to stay safe or we will all be really sad." They were nearing the room now. Lily could see the crest of the most noble and ancient house of Malloy up ahead. Oh yes, she was sending her daughter to one of the other houses. Being of the most noble and ancient house of Potter and having an uncle who was the head of the most ancient and noble house of Black, her daughter would need all of the training she could get. And who better to train Lily's daughter than her own best friend.

"Yes momma." Lily burst into the room, but the woman sitting in the middle of it didn't even flinch.

"Lils…" Lily's best friend Kim stood up and strode over to the hooded Lily. Lily shook her head before thrusting her daughter into her best friends outstretched arms. Lily hovered in the doorway, unsure as to whether she should stay or go.

"Lils, are you sure?" Kim asked as she rocket the little girl back and forth. Anguish filled Lily's face.

"I don't have any other choice." Lily moaned as she laid a hand on her swollen belly. "The only way to keep her safe is to send her to America with your family. Train her as a Lady to be of one of the noble and most ancient houses. Teach her the old ways, teach her the forgotten ways. Treat her as if she is your own. When she is 11, give her this key. It leads to a vault in the Chicago branch of Gringotts. It has everything she will need and everything she will need to know. At 14, start her physical training. At 17, send her home. Send her to my son. Together, no one will be able to stop them. The old ways will be remembered and peace will reign. Things will be well. But until then… take care of my baby." Lily's voice broke as her best friend looked on at her not with pity but with understanding and love.

"Your daughter shall be mine. My family will love her as our own. She will be a Malloy in all things. I know you can feel it. The magic has chosen her. Who knows, maybe she will even be the next Lady Malloy instead of the next Lady Potter." Kim attempted to crack a joke. "You need not worry." Lily nodded. She pressed a kiss into her young daughters curls, acutely aware that this would be the last time she ever saw her daughter, no matter how optimistic an outlook she tried to keep.

"I love you angel." Lily murmured to her daughter who look so like herself. When she could no longer take the pain, Lily fled from the room, fled from her daughter's life. The child let out a cry and she attempted to throw herself from her Aunts arms and after her mother. Kim however, gathered her in her arms and soothed the weeping child as she headed towards the roaring fire. She threw a handful of powder into the fire, which turned it green. With a call of "Malloy Manor" the two females were gone, never to set foot British soil for another 14 years.

A/N: Tell me what you think please. The more reviews, the quicker you will get updates!


	2. Lady Malloy

A/N: Tada! Haha, I was going to try to get this up last night so I could have two updates in one day, but that didn't work. So, I know this is going REALLY fast, but just trust me, I have... a plan! I know, ME! A PLAN? It is the end of the world. But I do, so I need you to trust me. Review please!

**Old Ways**

Chapter Two: Lady Malloy

Harry James Potter stared at the clock on his bedside table. It had been a gift from his friend Hermione who assured him it would wake him up no matter how deeply he slept. Harry smiled as he thought about his best friend and their other best friend, Ron. They and their families were like family to Harry, who had no real family of his own. Oh, sure, he had his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin, but they ignored him on the best of days and treated him much like Malfoy treated his house elf on a bad day. However, for the most part they tried to avoid each other.

Which is why they had no problem with Harry coming and going about the house. As long as he didn't wake them up, they didn't care what time he got home at night, or even if he came home. So he had no problem as he waited for Hermione, who lived only 5 minutes away, to show up. He knew that his "family" wouldn't say anything about the fact that he was hanging out with a girl as they would have if his cousin Dudley was the one hanging out with the witch.

As the red numbers flipped over to 1:03, Harry heard the bell ring. He went flying down the stairs, skidding to a halt as he flung the door open. His smile and scolding dropped from his face as he saw the woman standing in the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you looking for Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked politely as he tried to fight back his disappointment. It didn't matter who this was, it wasn't Hermione. The woman smiled at him, and Harry blinked a couple of time. This woman… this woman looked like him! Though she was much taller than Harry would ever be, she had the same willowy seekers frame. Black hair flowed down to the middle of her back, curly and unruly. Her face was the same shape as his, her smile the same blinding beam. Though she was older, probably legally an adult in the magic world, she seemed to have miscevious childness about her. Happiness seeped off of her and she had hazel eyes that he knew he had seen somewhere before.

"Hello. No, I am not here for Aunt Tunie or her wretched husband. Goodness knows why I would want to see either of them. You are Harry, right?" the girl asked as she shifted to look over his shoulder. Harry nodded dumbly. How did this girl know his name? Why did she look like him?

"Yes." Harry finally shook himself back to reality. "Hi, I am Harry Potter. Who are you?" the girl shook her head.

"My goodness, you really know nothing, do you? That is not how you introduce yourself. Obviously this is where we need to start. When you introduce yourself, you keep your head high, shoulders back. State your full name, and if, as you are, you are part of a House, you say so." The woman informed him. Harry stared at her bewildered. " So you would say 'Hello, I am Harry James Potter of the ancient and most noble house of Potter.' When you reach majority, you will say, 'Hello, I am Harry James Potter, Lord of the ancient and most noble house of Potter' But obviously that isn't now."

"Excuse me?" Harry stuttered as he stared at the woman who he realized was more a teenager than woman.

"It is tradition, and traditions must be upheld. Besides that, it is a kindness." the woman snapped at him like a was a petulant child

"Hello, I am Harry James Potter of the ancient and most noble house of Potter." Harry introduced. He could feel no malice coming from the woman, so he saw no need to not comply. This seemed to please the woman, who nodded happily at him.

"Hello Harry, it is a pleasure. My name is Hannah Lily Malloy, Lady of the ancient and most noble house of Malloy and Lady of the Potter estate until you reach majority." Harry started as the woman smiled pleasantly at him. He stared at her for several moments before she let out a hearty chuckle.

"You are out of your bloody mind." Harry yelled.

"Oh trust me Harry, I know that. I have known that for years. But I am who I say I am. You have been kept in the dark for a very long time." The woman was nuts! Harry attempted to slam the door but found he could not. He glared at the woman, searching to see where she had hid her wand and silently admiring her silent magic. "Oh no Harry, I don't need a wand. Just one more thing I need to tell you of. But, I fear this is not the place to talk about such things. Your friend Hermione is going to turn the corner any second and anyone could overhear our conversation. We must find some place safer to speak." Though Harry was curious to hear what this madwoman had to say, he was not stupid.

"Why would I go with you? You show up on the doorstep of my home, claiming to be a Lady and that I will one day be a Lord, despite the fact that you are wearing jeans and a t-shirt, talking in this crazy way. You tell me yourself that you are insane and claim you don't need a wand. You look like me, not just a little bit, but a lot. And somehow, you knew not only that I had a friend coming, but also her name! And you expect me to go with you?" Harry raged at the woman, Hannah. She just nodded. "I'm truly not stupid you know."

"I should hope not!" Hannah snapped back glaring at the shorter boy "No, you aren't stupid, just ignorant. No matter, I give you my word as the Lady Malloy that I will harm neither you nor your friend Lord Potter. It is time you had things explained to you. It is time you came out from under the thumb of those who would keep you a child naive of the traditions you come from and the war waging around you." There was honesty in Hannah's eyes that had Harry nodding and following the woman down the block and around the corner. They bumped into a surprised Hermione who let out a startled squeak and look at them with questioning eyes.

"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively as she peered up at the tall woman. Hannah beamed at her before shaking her head.

"No time, no time, and certainly not here!" she muttered before ushering them away. They approached Mrs. Fig's house, and Harry noticed the old biddy peering through the windows. Harry smiled kindly at the older woman who had shown him kindness during his childhood. Hannah embraced the woman and kissed her cheek.

"Child, back so soon?" Mrs. Fig asked with a pout. "And leaving immediately I am sure."

"Yes ma'am, I'm afraid so. But I promise to stop back by." Hasty farewells were made as Harry and Hermione stumbled along after the now glowing witch. "I need to both to take one of my arms." Hannah instructed as they reached Mrs. Fig's secluded back yard.

"Why?" Harry asked with distrust in his eyes. "Why can't we just talk here?" Hannah rolled her eyes.

"Silly boy, this is nowhere near safe enough. We need to get back to Potter Manor. Unfortunately, Malloy Manor is still under renovations, so Potter manner will have to do."

"Godrics Hallow burned down years ago the night my parents died. Everyone knows that." Harry spat at her. He knew this had been a mistake. This woman was mad.

"Harry, Godrics Hallow wasn't Potter Manor. Your parents bought a separate home when they went into hiding." Surprisingly, it was Hermione who supplied this information.

"Correct. But, because we are not keyed into the wards yet the only way you can get into the manor is through me. So grab hold of my arms." Hannah beamed at the flushed bookworm.

"But you can't side along two people. You could splinch somebody!" Hermione cried and that same miscevious twinkle Harry had earlier seen reappeared.

"So you just expect me to go with you when I don't even know your name, or anything about you?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, not angry, just skeptical.

"I think you already know the name that you need to know." Hannah chuckled as she caught Hermione staring at the ring of the Lady Malloy.

"But the Malloy family went missing years ago." Hermione stuttered, caught off guard.

"Why do you know who the Malloy family is?" Harry demanded.

"Harry, there is so much you don't know." Hermione said mournfully "Dumbledore made me and anyone who ever came into contact with you swear to never be the one to tell you, but I wish I had never made that vow. Oh how I wish I hadn't!"

"Hush child, all will be well. But we must hurry. Grab my arm." Sensing the urgency in Hannah's voice, the two twelve year olds grabbed onto her arm and with that they were gone.

* * *

Hannah let out a relieved sigh as the appeared in the middle of the Potter living room. She had figured it best to apparate inside the house rather than outside so as to not overwhelm the two preteens with its sheer size. She did, however, have to bite back a chuckle as the two stared around them in amazement at the size of the living room.

"This is Potter Manor?" Harry asked, sucking in a breath as he did a 360. Hannah nodded. "This will be mine someday?

"Yup. Just as soon as you turn 17. For now though, is rests in my care. Don't worry though," Hannah winked at the younger boy "Anything you want, you can have. It is yours. And I am assuming you are going to be staying here on holidays, correct?"

"Why would I be staying here on holidays?" Harry asked.

"Why, because this is where you are safest of course!" Hannah smiled as she ushered Harry and Hermione into an adjoining room. Harry was about to ask why she thought his ancestral home was safer than Hogwarts or the warding at his aunt and uncles but all words died on his lips as the stepped into the next grad room. Awe filled both Harry and Hermione as they stared at the walls.

"The Potter family tapestry." Hermione whispered as she began at the beginning and started to trace her was around the room. Harry, however, made his way over to where Hannah was standing, tracing a name.

"Lillian Rose Potter nee Evans. Preferred to be called Lily. Called Lils by those closest to her and Lily-Pad when the Marauders wanted something from her." Hannah whispered as she traced the name. Her fingers danced over the line and started tracing the name attached to it. "James Harold Potter. Eldest and only son of the ancient and most noble house of Potter. Stag animungus, full time prankster. Called Prongs by the Marauders." Harry automatically traced the line between them leading downwards towards his name. He frowned however as he noticed a line attached to his. He followed it and felt his heart stop. It couldn't be. And yet, when he glanced back at her, he could see the startling resemblance.

"Hello little brother."


	3. Explanations

"Excuse me?" Harry blinked several times.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me. I tend to like dramatics. I couldn't resist." Despite her sincere tone, Hannah's lips quirked up at the corners. "Let's start over. We aren't in public now, no need for formalities. Hi, I'm Hannah! I was born Hannah Lillian Potter, but about a month and a half before I turned four and three months before Harry was born, our mother shipped me off to America. She sent me with her best friend, who changed my last name to Malloy for convenience sake. " Hannah smiled and stuck her hand out to the two confused teens before her. Harry shook his head.

"Bonkers." Harry muttered to Hermione who was gazing at the other girl calculatingly "'Mione, don't tell me you believe her!"

"Hermione Granger." Hermione grasped the other girls hand delicately, ignoring her friends incredulous look. "Nice to meet you. I'm Harry's best friend. Well, one of them anyway. Our other friend, Ron Weasley is in Egypt at the moment."

"Weasley you say? I used to be quiet good friends with the older Weasley boys! They were a few years older than me, but our parents knew each other through the Order of the Phoenix, a resistance group." Hannah exclaimed conversationally as she and Hermione moved towards a group of couches to get comfortable.

"Bill works as a curse breaker in Egypt now, so they have gone to visit him. They were talking about visiting Romania to see Charlie for a couple days, but I don't know if they will." Hermione babbled, acting for all the world as if she had known this woman for her whole life. Harry could make neither heads or tails of the situation.

"Mione, snap out of it! For all we know this woman could be a Death Eater! She, she could be planning how best to kill us! Or she could be, I dunno, a rouge Ministry agent!" Harry exclaimed as he attempted to pull Hermione behind him, wand drawn and pointed at Hannah, who just smiled warmly back. Hermione, on the other hand, was having none of this.

"Oh honestly Harry! Would it really kill you to pick up a book once in a while? Don't you know ANYTHING on Wizarding history? Just because we couldn't tell you, doesn't mean you couldn't have looked it up on your own!" Hermione near shouted. Hannah held up a hand.

"Now Hermione, you can't expect him to research something he isn't even aware of existing or not existing. Harry, I would like to explain everything to you, please, if you will just take a seat." Hannah implored. Harry started to cave but shook himself.

"Why should I trust you?" he demanded, shaking with rage.

"Harold James Potter, calm yourself this instant!" Hannah snapped, and for some reason, Harry found himself complying. He just felt safe in this woman's presence, as if sheknew exactly what to do and what was best for him. He felt deep down inside that she would never hurt him. He looked at Hannah confused. "See, isn't that better? Harry, there was a reason you followed me here to begin with. You weren't forced to come here, you weren't coerced. You came willingly. You trusted me. Use some of that trust now and listen to what I have to say. If you don't like it, you may leave. Nothing is keeping you here. But please brother, listen to what I have to say." There was such honesty and openness in Hannah that Harry found himself nodding reluctantly. Though he did not lower his wand, he allowed Hermione to move from behind him and seat herself in the chair in front of him. Hannah nodded her understanding.

"Miss Malloy." Hermione piped up "If you don't mind me asking, why did your parents send you away? Surely it wasn't for training, they could have done so just as well, and would have been better at training you to be a Potter than a Malloy would be." Hannah let out a chuckle.

"All in good time, dear Miss. Granger. And please, it's Hannah. But, I fear we have proceeded ahead of our companion, and hence we must backtrack." Hannah said, tipping a wink at the pair. "Harry, what do you know about the creation of Magic? Or, I should say, Magic as we know it." Hannah leaned forward expectantly, but Harry just looked confused.

"Creation of magic?" He asked, blinking hard "Ummm, nothing."

"Of course not." Hannah let out a deep suffering sigh and Hermione had to suppress a grin. Over dramatic indeed. "Magic has not always been used in the form we use it in today. It has not always held the restrictions almost all witches and wizards use. Wands, spells, the like. There was once a time when everyone could feel and harness the Magic. Magic was in everyone and everything. There was no such thing and wizards and witches, muggles and squibs. People were just people and Magic was just Magic."

"What happened?" Harry asked, finding himself being drawn into the tale.

"People started abusing the Magic. Magic was never meant to be a crutch for us to use to live. It was meant to better our lives, but not be all enveloping. We were still supposed to let nature run its course. But. as I said, people began abusing the power. They used Magic to summon things they could easily get up to get. They used Magic to fight, to punish others. They used it to grow their fortune and to trick death. They did nothing for themselves, for why should they when they could easily do anything they wanted with Magic." Hannah explained. Harry looked intrigued and although she already knew all of this information, Hermione was enraptured as well.

"At the time, the feudal system was still very much in place. There were 7 prominent Lordships held by men who had a good control over the Magic. These men conferred and decided together that it would be best to place restrictions on the Magic. Combining their power, they were able to do this, though by doing so they created two different worlds. You see, the Magic is still around us. It is in everything, and if you know how to access it, it is at your disposal. But, very few now a days know how to tap into this power. Most people were unable to adapt to the restrictions placed on the Magic, and simply had to go about life without Magic. Today, these people care called muggles and are often mistakenly referred to as non-magical people. It isn't that they are non-magical, it is just they lack the ability to tap into the Magic." Hannah's gentle voice seemed sincere as she laid the history of the wizarding word out on the table. Harry briefly wondered why Binns never taught anything half so interesting.

"Then there are people who are able to access the Magic through the restrictions. Wizards and witches. They use wands and spells and are only able to do so much, or use so much power. These people are fewer in numbers than muggles, because it is hard to access the Magic. Though many fear how few the number of witches and wizards are sinking to, that is the way it was meant to be. That is the way the original council wanted it." Hannah was cut off by Harry.

"The original council? What is that supposed to mean?" Harry demanded, only to be shushed by Hermione.

"The original council are the seven I spoke of who created the blocks on Magic. The seven Lords of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses." Hannah didn't get very far before she was once more interrupted.

"Wait! Earlier, you said you were the Lady of the ancient and most noble house of Malloy." Harry was confused. Surely this girl did not think that she was a descendant of these powerful people!

"And temporarily the ancient and most noble house of Potter as well." Hannah reminded him "Which bring me to us. The families of those seven powerful Lords are still around today. And they alone are still able to tap into the Magic without restriction. It is a well-guarded secret, passed down through the generations. None but our seven families know. On very special occasions, the Council of The Most Ancient and Noble Houses grants permission for some one outside the fold to be taught the Old Ways. But this is an extremely rare occurance."

"You are so full of it!" Harry exclaimed as he placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Absolutely out of your mind!"

"No Harry, she's not. This is what Dumbledore wouldn't allow us to tell you. He made us swear to never tell you about the death of your sister and to be allowed to even approach you, we to swear to never tell you of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses. Dumbledore was afraid of what you would do with the knowledge. And I honestly think he thought Hannah was dead." Hermione gushed as she twisted in her seat to face her friend. He frowned at her.

"Then how are you able to tell me all of this now?" Harry questions suspiciously.

"Because I was under no such obligations." Hannah declared proudly "As soon as you were made aware of the fact, anyone who wanted to could say something. The vow is inconsequential." Harry thought about this before nodding his head slowly. Hannah could tell she was getting through to him. Of course, the fact that she had his best friend to back her up helped immensely.

"So… you can do anything you want with magic? Without a wand?" Harry asked.

"In theory, yes. However, I am still in the learning process. Some people take to it very quickly. For me however, I was not born a Malloy, therefore it is taking me longer to sort through things. If I were to learn as a Potter, by a Potter, I would have finished my training years ago. However, the Magic chose me to be the head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Malloy instead of Potter and instead of giving the title to one of our numerous Malloy cousins. Therefore, I had to learn things the Malloy way. I have things just about sorted finally. For most, once you start training, things become easier." Hannah huffed, clearly annoyed with the whole process.

"So… I'll be learning the Magic? Without a wand?" Harry asked hopefully. Hannah nodded.

"Absolutely. I'll be teaching you, the Potter way of course. We will have to start right away so that you can be prepared as soon as possible. This show down you have with Voldemort isn't over. There are things you need to know, but those shall be saved for another time. For now just know this: you need to train, as do any who plan on sticking by you. Hermione, do you understand that by staying friends with Harry, you are putting yourself at risk?" Hannah asked as she turned to the girl who had been quiet for quiet sometime.

"Of course I know. There has never been one second of doubt in my mind. Things with Harry have always been dangerous. But it's worth it. He's worth it. He's my best friend." Hermione declared to a shocked Harry and a bemused Hannah.

"Then we shall start you in on training. Without the permission of the full council, I cannot teach you the Old Ways. But I can prepare you to dual and to protect both yourself and Harry. I plan on eventually teaching you the secret of our Ways. I believe that sharing this secret with those surrounding Harry will help him in the oncoming difficulties. However, first I must convince the council. It shouldn't be too hard though. The Houses have always been like and extended family and the Malloy name has always held great sway, even in this circle. It shall just take a little persuading." Hannah smiled as she stretched slightly.

"If you don't mind me asking." Harry said quietly "Which are the seven Ancient and Most Noble Houses?" Hannah let out a laugh. She could see Harry was starting to come around, though he still seemed weary.

"The Houses Potter, Malloy, Black, Greengrass, Bones, Zambini, and Delacour." Hannah wrinkled her nose. "And I couldn't begin to tell you who the heads of the houses are anymore. I am afraid that when we left Britain, we lost all contact and information about our homeland. And with that war and the progression of time, I am sure that at least a couple of the Heads have changed."

"Greengrass and Zambini are Slytherin!" Harry scowled.

"But they are family, so it doesn't matter. The Black family has a long line of Slytherins, but their current head of house is a Gryffindor. The Potters are Gryffindors, and Malloys are often Ravenclaws. It has been a great many years since the Delcacours have attended Hogwarts, and the Bones have all been sorted into either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw in the past few decades. Despite this diversity we must stand together. You must show people that what house you are sorted into doesn't decide what side of the war you take." Hannah insisted firmly.

"So you expect me to just all of a sudden be buddies with Slytherins?" Harry demanded ". Susan is a Hufflepuff and I have spoken with her a few times. She seems nice enough. But I can't just start hanging out with Slytherins. I just got people to stop believing that I am not the next Dark Lord in training. Hanging out with Slytherins would not help me stop those rumors." Hannah took a deep breath, reminding herself that it was NOT okay for her to strangle her brother.

"How about this: Over the summer, I will be meeting quiet frequently with the other Lords and Ladies. As heir to the Potter title, you will be required to attend some of these meetings. During that time, you may get to know your school mates. If you still do not wish to associate with them, you will be forced to do no more than business together. However, the Ancient and Most Noble Houses have a long standing friendship, and I wouldn't be surprised if you came to be close friends with these children. You all were born at the same time on purpose you know. So that you could go to school together and be friends. If things had turned out differently, you would probably be very good friends with Daphne Greengrass, Susan Bones, and Blaise Zambini." Hannah smiled sadly, a cloud passing over her face.

"Right now, however, we need to get you settled in. I need to figure out what to get you, what is worth going back to the Dursley's for and what we can just replace. If they are anything now like they were when I was small, there is no way we want to stay in that house any longer than possible." Hannah cheered up at the idea of shopping, a grin splitting her face.

"And what if I don't want to stay here?" Harry tried not to smile, but was failing abysmally. A short squabble ensued in which neither party really had any heart in. Hermione hid a smile behind her hand. Oh yes, the rest of the summer would certainly be interesting…

A/N: Don't kill me? Meep! Haha, sorry it took me awhile to update, I won't bother you with my lame excuses. I know you REALLY don't want to hear them. For those of you who haven't noticed, this is going to be EXTREMLY AU. But I like to think that is a good this. Also, I forgot to mention before, latter on there will be SLASH! Not very explicit, but it will be there. Of the Sirius/Harry variety at least. But not for a while. Harry is much to young! However, for those of you hungering for some romance, you are in luck! I would say that it shouldn't be more than three chapters till this rolls around. I am so excited. Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers. Constructive criticism is welcome with open arms. If you think I should change something tell me. Maybe I can explain something better or if not, maybe something just flat out needs changing. Any and all reviews are welcome! Thanks!


	4. Uncle Siri and My Remy

_Remy and Siri,_

_I know you aren't going to believe this._

_But, I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._

_Marauders honor and all that you know._

_It really is me._

_Swear._

_I guess the only way to prove it to you is to meet you._

_You know the drill, I am sure you remember._

_I do and I was four!_

_Give me a chance._

_My brother and his siter have._

_2 pm please!_

_Love always,_

_Hannah Lillian Potter_

_Lady of the Ancient and Most Nobel House of Malloy_

_Lady of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter_

Sirius stared down at the letter in his hand. He tilted his face up to stare at his best friend. Then back down at the letter. And up. And down. Over and over this cycle repeated before finally Remus Lupin snatched the offending parchment out of his gob smacked friends hands. He scanned over it before shaking his head.

"No Pads. You know this is a trick. Hannah DIED years ago! I would have known if my mate was alive. And Harry can't be missing, the wards would have fallen. We would have known!" Remus shook his head, bile rising. This was a cruel joke by somebody meaning to do them all harm. Both he and Sirius had read the letter several times, insistent that it was in fact a joke. Well, Remus was insisting. Sirius seemed to be going along with it all. Surely Sirius wouldn't… but of course he wouldn't. Even after having been cleared of all charges and thus making up for the missing years of pranks, Remus knew Sirius still wouldn't do this. Sirius had been hurt by Hannah's death as well, and he knew that it was something Remus would never recover from. But then who would do something like this?

"Not if he was removed by a blood relative." Sirius defended.

"Don't be ridiculous Siri. You KNOW Hannah died, just like I know!" Remus's voice cracked on the last word as he thought of that young girl, so full of life, gone. That little girl who had the whole world at her feet, and everyone in her world wrapped around her little finger.

"No Remus, I don't know!" Sirius's temper was rising. "I know that after Hannah 'died' you INSISTED that she wasn't gone. You promised that you would know if she was gone. It was only when Lil identified the body that you –"

"Sirius stop! I was grief stricken, I was in denial. I had no clue how my life was supposed to go on. My mate was gone Sirius. My mate is gone. Of course I denied it! You don't have that problem! Your soul mate is still around, even if they haven't reached their majority yet!" Remus snapped.

"Remus, Lily identified the body. None of the rest of us saw it. And this letter can't be lying. It's Sealed." Sirius thrust the letter back under the others nose.

"It could have been fake-"

'NO it couldn't have! You know it! There is no magic on earth that can replicate a Seal. And a Seal won't let you put false information on a Sealed parchment. USE YOUR BRAIN! This is Hannah! And if we go by what it says, she has been with Kim all this time! Lily was an extremely powerful witch, they said that her bearing a Potter would make that little girl even more powerful! Add that to the fact that she has been adopted by the Malloy's to such an extreme as to become the head of house and you KNOW she is probably the power the prophesy talks about. Dumbledore sure thought so. Wouldn't it make sense that Lily would send her away?" Sirius all but screamed.

"That is not true! Dumbledore didn't think Hannah was the power. He thought that Hannah's presence in Harry's life and her protection that would be the power. But now he thinks it was Lily's sacrifice!"

"HE ONLY THINKS THAT BECAUSE EVERYONE THINKS HANNAH IS GONE!" Sirius roared. Remus hung his head.

"I don't want to get my hopes up." He muttered as his eyes clouded over. "Sirius, do you know what the likelihood of this really being our Hannah is? The probability of her having survived? I don't want my heart to get broken again. I don't know that I can take it. Merlin Sirius, if it isn't her…"

"Then don't get your hopes up. Just go with me tomorrow assuming it is some imposter whose arse you are going to kick! Meet them! If it's an imposter, fine. You will know and we can leave. But I already went over to check, Harry is gone. As is all of his stuff. So if nothing else, we have to get Harry back."

"I don't know Sirius…" Remus trailed off deep in thought. "I guess it's worth a shoot. And I would love to get my hands on the bastard who thought this is funny." Sirius did a mental victory dance while keeping his calm on the outside. Without a word, he turned and let the room, preparing himself for what was sure to be a whirlwind adventure.

* * *

"Do you see them?" Harry demanded as he stretched up on tiptoes to unsuccessfully peer over the crowd. Hannah let out a giggle while Hermione rolled her eyes and elbowed her best friend in the side.

"Honestly Harry!" Hermione cried as Harry jumped up on a nearby picnic bench. "It's bad enough that we are in a kiddie park without you acting like one!" Hannah smiled at the bickering pair; she would have to work on loosening Hermione up.

"Explain to me again why we are here." Harry begged. Hannah was thrilled. Although Hermione thought Harry needed to grow up, Hannah was glad to see a side of her brother she had missed… or would have missed, had he been granted a childhood.

"When I was little, this is where we used to meet my Remy and Uncle Siri. It's exactly half way between their old flat and Potter Manor. My Remy used to push me much higher in the swings than momma liked, and Uncle Siri used to come as a dog and roll around on the grass with me." Hermione thought the possessive use of "my Remy" odd but chose not to comment on it. Harry however, did not hide his disappointment well.

"Siri and Lupin are together?" He seemed to deflate. Hannah shook with laughter and the other two looked at her oddly.

"Where ever did you get that idea?" she choked out.

"Well you said the park is halfway between Potter Manor and their old flat, so I assumed…" Harry trailed off as Hannah began laughing harder.

"As if! Although Uncle Siri and my Remy lived together, they weren't together. You know how hard it is for a werewolf to find a job. Uncle Siri let my Remy live there as long as my Remy cooked. Besides, even though Uncle Sirius is about as straight as a circle, my Remy doesn't quiet swing that way." Harry seemed to light up at his sisters words.

"You mean that Siri and Lupin-"

"It's Remus Harry. From what I have heard, he is no longer you professor although he rightly should be." Hannah scolded.

"Aren't together?" Harry continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. Hannah shook her head.

"As if ole' Moony could ever keep up with this!' Sirius exclaimed as they approached the trio. Harry let out an extremely unmanly squeal before launching himself at his godfather. Hermione, noticing the animungus's face turning purple, stepped in to prevent suffocation. This, unfortunately, left Hannah in a very awkward situation.

"Hi Remy." Hannah whispered as she peaked shyly from under her bangs. The man glared back at her.

"Who are you?" He demanded, crossing his arms to keep a barrier between himself and the supposed imposter. Hannah's eyes widened in shock.

"HANNAH!" Sirius cried as if suddenly realizing she was there. Before she could continue her conversation with her Remus, she was swept into a bear hug.

"Uncle Siri!" Hannah cried in delight as she was swung around like a child.

"Where have you been?" Sirius demanded as he set the young woman down. People had started to stare.

"America." Hannah smirked at the gob smacked look on Sirius's face. Remus continued to look furious.

"AMERICA!" Sirius cried as Hannah began herding them down the street.

"Chicago to be more precise. And don't even think you can go looking for my family. The only reason I am at liberty to tell you that is because they have already moved." Hannah warned. Sirius let out a laugh that sounded almost like a bark causing Hannah to smile ruefully. She had missed he Uncle.

"This is ridiculous! Why are we listening to this imposter? We have Harry and Hermione now let's split." Remus had promised himself he wouldn't do this. He had promised himself he wouldn't break down. And yet here he was looking at a girl who very easily could have been Hannah Potter. She was the perfect combination of what Lil and James child would have looked like had she been allowed to reach this age. Remus was dying inside.

"Imposter?" Hannah gasped "Remy, no!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Remus roared. Although he had nothing but platonic feelings for the child, he had known that Hannah was his mate. Although the physical feelings had not developed, the others had. The world revolved around her, he breathed because she willed it so. She was the only one allowed to call him Remy.

"I'm not an impostor! It's really me!" Hannah insisted, tears welling up.

"Remus! Stop this!" Sirius demanded. Remus shook his head.

"Professor Lupin, she really is my sister. She let us into Potter Manor. And she showed me the family tapestry. Professor, there was no death date. Everything she told me made sense!" Harry inserted as he and Hermione moved to stand behind Harry's older sister.

"Harry, I am sure that this woman was very convincing, but- "Remus was cut off by an irate Hannah.

"Remus John Lupin! How dare you! If you would just calm yourself you would be able to tell better than the rest that I am who I say I am!" Hannah screamed as she placed her hands on either side of her mates face. He struggled to slip from her grasp but she held firm until he looked her in the eyes. The others watched on in anticipation before Remus let out a pained gasp, pulling the shorter woman to him, holding her close. He was shaking.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. ." Remus continued his mantra as he sobbed into Hannah's hair.

"I'm home." She whispered as she clung for dear life to her world. "I'm home."

A/N: Sorry I have been gone for so long! No excuses, I was just... gone. . ;) As a consolation prize I might be convinced to post again in the next 24 hours... okay so I AM going to post again in the next 24 hours... but if you review I will post before midnight central time. Constructive criticism and flames are different. No flames please.


	5. Innocence

"Why didn't you come back?" Remus begged as he finally pulled away from the younger girl. She sighed before burying her head in his chest. She muttered something but it was muffled by the cloth of Remus's t-shirt. She pulled back, looking up.

"Mamma told me about what was going to happen. Well, she left me a journal that explained. She told me I would be safer with Aunt Kimmy." Hannah explained as Sirius took his turn in ushering everyone onward.

"So, your mother knew you were alive?" Sirius yelped and Remus's eyes darkened. Harry pouted at Sirius's attention being shifted to his sister and Hermione elbowed him in the side.

"She took me to Aunt Kimmy herself. She figured that by sending me away she would be keeping everyone safe. She was sure You-Know-Who would come after me." Hannah glanced around, not daring to say Voldemorts name in public. You never could tell who was listening.

"But why didn't she tell us? I would have gone with you!" Remus demanded as Hannah slipped out of his arms. He felt a loss of warmth but some of it was returned when she slipped her hand into his.

"Remy, the only way it would have worked was if everyone thought I was dead. She took the opportunity when she saw it. I was gone faster than you can imagine. When Momma was off identifying the body, she was really taking me to Aunt Kimmy." Hannah explained. They turned the corner and found themselves on Rosewood, the street Potter Manor was on. Hannah skidded to a stop in front of what looked like an empty lot. However, the party knew better. No one interrupted her as she seemingly stared at nothing. After having only been with the woman for little over a day, Harry and Hermione could already tell that she was doing magic. The air seemed to shift and Hannah almost seemed to glow as the house slowly but surely started to appear before them. Not five minutes later the whole of Potter Manor stood before them in all its glory. Harry's eyes widened, having never seen the outside of the Manor before.

"This is Potter Manor?" Harry asked as they walked through the gates. Hannah nodded.

"A bit much huh?" she asked as they walked past the tall Greek pillars. Carved onto each pillar, which stretched much higher than Harry thought any possible, was each of the families and their descendants. The one immediately to the left showed the Potter family and to the right the Malloy's. Harry and Hannah hung back as the others continued into the house.

"For now it shows the Malloy family because I am head of both the Malloy's and the Potters. Once you reach majority and have found your soul mate, however, my families pillar will be replaced with theirs." Hannah explained as she lovingly traced her mother and fathers faces, which were positioned directly above Harry and hers on the Potter pillar. "When you have children, each of the faces will shift up and your children's faces will be on the bottom. I am on both the Malloy and the Potter pillar because while I might be a Potter by birth, I am a Malloy by adoption, both technically and by magic."

"What happens if my soul mate isn't from one of the families?" Harry asked. After having learned so much in the past day, the idea of having a soul mate was not so shocking. At least, it was no more shocking than the idea that he had a long lost sister who was going to teach him to be a fighter and learn magic differently than other people.

"Trust me little brother, he is." Hannah immediately cursed herself for the slip of tongue.

"He?" Harry turned on his heel and stared at his sister. Before she could defend herself, he continued. "How did you know that? I though you said you weren't reading my thoughts!" Hannah felt a wave of relief. At least her brother had already come to terms with the fact that he liked men, though she herself thought him too young to be thinking of such things.

"As head of the family I can see your soul mate on the family tapestry. The name is rather faint as you are still under age and not bonded, but it is there none the less. As time goes on and your relationship with him grows, the name will become darker. Once you take over as head, you will be able to see his name." Hannah explained as she tugged on her brother's elbow, pulling him into the house.

"Who is it?" Harry asked anxiously. Hannah's gaze slipped over the guests and a smile threatened to break out over her face.

"You will know eventually Harry. Long before you reach maturity. But you are much too young to be thinking of such things! Rest at ease brother, he is close at hand." Although she knew the others could not hear their conversation, Hannah saw Sirius's eyes light up the second they walked into the room. Sirius gave Harry and affectionate grin as the boy glanced shyly back.

"I think I might know." Harry murmured.

"But as I said Harry dear, you are much too young to be thinking about such things. And soul mates are whatever you want them to be. So for now, be friends. Be young. Get to know those closest to. And stay away from my Remy." Hannah play growled which brought a laugh forth from her younger brother.

"Is he you're...?" Harry trailed off, unsure as to how to continue. Hannah smiled as her gaze slipped to the man who seemed so young for his years.

"Yes. Yes he is."

* * *

Hours later, after having caught up on recent and not so recent events in the Potter's life, the attention shifted to Sirius and Remus.

"Sirius," said man's attention shifted to the young witch sitting primly next to her brother. "Why does Harry not live with you? Why does he live with my awful aunt and her whale of a son?" Sirius sighed, running a hand over his face.

"How much do you know of what happened after you left?" Sirius asked. Hannah shook her head.

"Nothing. We were cut off from England. They thought it was the best way to stay hidden. Aunt Kimmy tried to contact Mamma one day a couple years after I left but we found out that she and Daddy were gone. So, since she couldn't get ahold of any information on Harry, the Malloy's cut all ties to England." Sirius seemed resigned.

"This is going to be harder than I thought. You know, of course, that your parents were going into hiding even before baby Harry was born. Do you know about the prophesy?" Hannah nodded and they chose to ignore Harry and Hermione's questioning looks. "Well your parents went into hiding under the Fidelius after hearing it. At first, they were going to make me their secret keeper. But, we decided that it was too obvious a choice. So, we thought Wormtail would be the better option. It turned out however, that Wormtail was a follower of Voldemort, also known as a Death Eater." This part he seemed to add for the two young teens listening to their conversation. Both seemed about to protest the fact that they knew what a Death Eater was when Sirius hurried to continue.

"Halloween night, two years after you left, Voldemort killed you parents." Sirius glossed over the details, not wanting to get into that subject just yet "He tried to kill Harry, but the curse rebounded, leaving the mark on Harry's forehead and killing Voldemort's body. He marked Harry as his equal that night, sealing the prophesy. I went after Wormtail, wanting revenge for Lily and James. However, when I finally had him cornered, he cut off his finger and turned into a rat, which is his animungus's form. People thought for years that I had killed him along with 12 muggles who were on the street. However, in Harry's 1st year, he made friends with a young man by the name of Ron Weasley. Ron had received a rat that had previously been his brothers when he got his Hogwarts letter. On the train, while attempting to turn his rat yellow, he accidentally forced Peter out of his rat form. Peter was captured and questioned. When they realized their mistake, the released me from Azkaban and gave Peter the Kiss." Hannah was shell shocked as her uncle finished with a flourish.

"I don't even know where to start." Hannah said slowly as she finally pulled out of her shocked stupor. "I guess the first, most obvious question is: Why doesn't Harry live with you now?"

"Most of the time he does. During the holidays and the second half of summer. But he still has to go to the Dursleys to keep up the blood wards. Although, it seems to me they are protecting the Dursleys more than they are protecting Harry. And if you ask me, those whales have no need to be protected." Sirius retorted furiously. Hannah shook her head.

"Well then, he will have to be removed from there immediately. Unless, of course, Harry, you wish you stay with Aunt Tuney." Harry shook his head furiously at his sisters half joke.

"But how come you can take me and Sirius can't? I bet Dumbledore won't let you." Harry seemed to sag at the thought of going back to his Aunt and Uncle's house "I've been gone so long to early already." Hannah shook her head.

"If Dumbledore insists on keeping up this farce about the blood wards, then he will just have to be shown that it is for the best that you live with me. I am your closest living relative and as such, the wards around you shall be the strongest if you live under my roof. As it is, any blood wards there would have been are most likely null and void at the Dursleys. If you do not feel someplace is your home, then your magic feels no need to protect that place." Hannah explained gently as she watched her brother's face light up.

"Really?" Harry asked and Hannah just nodded. She was shocked, however, when her brother, who had thus far insisted on showing some measure of distance between the two of them, threw himself into her arms. "Thank you!"

"We will go to fetch your things tomorrow. And I think we shall also make a trip to Diagon Alley. And maybe Muggle London. You are in desperate need for a new wardrobe. Though your muggle clothes seem to be much too big, your wizard clothes seem to be much too short. How this has come to be will be brought up latter, but for now I think that you would like a chance to get caught up with. I am going to go to the kitchens, and I will leave you lot to do as you please. Dinner will be at 6." As expected, heads nodded as Hannah seemed to glide out of the room. What was unexpected, however, were the hands the reached out and snagged her around the waist, pulling her into the chest of someone taller than her.

"Remus." She breathed as he wrapped her in his arms. She sighed as she let her head tip to the side when he burrowed his nose into her neck.

"Mate." He greeted before continuing memorizing her scent. Hannah closed her eyes in bliss before spinning around in the werewolf's arms.

"Now Mr. Lupin," Hannah began as Remus raised his eyebrows in amusement "I will have you know that I am in no way an easy catch. You do not simply get to come galloping in and expect me to fall into your arms."

"Never." Remus murmured as he tightened his arms around the young Lady.

"You shall… you shall…" Hannah seemed to be having trouble concentrating, but finally managed to grasp her train of thought "You shall have to woo me as if we had never meet before." Remus smiled ferly down at the gasping witch in his arms before taking two steps back.

'As you wish m'lady." He teased as he swept her a bow. She allowed a laugh to escape, not realizing that to her bowing mate it sounded like music. "In that case, I shall return to our friends with my tail between my legs. But, it would pleasure me greatly if you would agree to accompany me to dinner next Thursday."

"But of course m'lord!" Hannah cried. Remus smiled before leaning down and whispering in her ear.

"Not now, but I promise you it won't be long." Hannah felt a blushing rising as she realized she was in for the ride of her life.

A/N: So… I KNOW I said I would have this chapter out long before I did. But I have a reason for that! I promise! The lovely Veronica Willis pointed out that I had a time gap. I had originally planned this story two different ways: one when Harry was the age you know and the second at a little bit of a latter age. I had chosen the first, but… I forgot? I'm sorry. So I had to re-evaluate. Did I want to have it when Harry was younger or older. As you can tell (maybe) Harry is younger. Before his third year (which is what all you lovely readers have known all along!) So, now we can move on! Tell me what you think and remember: constructive critism and flames are two separate things.


	6. Panic and Remembering

"Harry." Hermione knocked on her best friend's bedroom door the next morning, only to be yanked in by a startled looking Harry Potter. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"'Mione, we have to get out of here!" Harry muttered as he paced back and forth.

"Why?" Hermione asked, startled. Harry turned to face her, frustration obvious.

"These last two days have been like a dream. And I just went along with it so easily! I just let this woman convince me that she is my long lost sister, and that this is my ancestral home, and that-"Here Harry was cut off by the now irate witch.

"Oh honestly Harry! It's all true!" Hermione insisted as she took a seat on the unmade bed.

"'Mione, if all of this is supposedly true, why didn't I notice it earlier? There would have been clues. Dumbledore would have told me!" Now it was Harry's turn to insist as he refused the space Hermione made for him.

"We have been over this already Harry." Hermione replied with a dramatic eye roll "The information has been there all along. Hannah has already ordered some books on the subject for you. And if you had ever bothered to read about yourself, you would have seen mentions of your sister. Besides, you went with your guy. Potters are supposed to be very in-tune with nature. They have good guts and have had a lot of seers in the family. As much as I don't like Divination, there is such thing as the foresight. But it's something you are born with, not something that can be learned!"

"But 'Mione, surely you realize the irrationality of it all!" Harry demanded and Hermione shook her head.

"Harry, I swear on my magic that everything you have learned about your family and your past in the last forty-eight hours is completely true." Hermione intoned seriously. Harry gapped at his friend as a blue light flashed between them.

"Wow." Was all he could manage to squeak out. Hermione nodded.

"Harry, before you turned 11, magic was just a myth to you. Sure, you had "accidents" but, like the rest of us, you just assumed it was a miracle. You glazed over it. Then you got your letter and everything changed. You realized what you were missing out on. This situation is extremely similar. You can't miss what you don't know you have. So now that you have Hannah back in your life, and a chance to be who you are supposed to be, take it. Don't let it pass you by." Hermione pleaded as she grabbed Harry's hands.

"It's all just so surreal. My whole life I wished I had a real family. It's not that I don't appreciate everything that you and Ron's families do for me, because I do. And I consider all of you family. But there is just something different about having someone who has the same parents as you, or the same grandparents even. I had always hoped that one day a mysterious cousin from my Dad's side would appear and take me away. I never even imagined having an older sister. And now, she is here, and she is in my face, and she is more than I ever hoped for. And I am so afraid I am going to wake up, or this is all going to turn into one huge practical joke at the expense of the Boy-Who-Lived." Harry explained, hoping the slightly older witch would understand.

"You aren't going to wake up Harry. This is real. Appreciate it while you can because, if we listen to Hannah, life is going to get tough fast. She said she was going to start us in on that training right away. I think she is just giving us time to get used to the adjustments. She isn't going to be patient forever." Hermione's soft voice finally seemed to penetrate through Harry's determined pessimism.

"Your right of course." Harry beamed at his friend. I need to go down there and spend time with Hannah and Sirius and… Remus." Though the name felt funny on his tongue, Harry could tell that the older man met a lot to his older sister.

"That's the spirit Harry!" Hermione mock cheered. Harry growled before launching himself at her. Letting out an undignified shriek, Hermione fell onto the floor laughing. "Oh, that's it. You're gonna get it now!" And thus the chase ensued, winding through the large Manor before finally ending up in front of the large doors that led to the kitchen.

"Do you think anyone is in there?" Harry asked as he attempted to peer through the key hole.

"Well, I can smell food. And it sounds like someone is in there." Hermione reasoned, but Harry shook his head.

"But it could just be the house elves." Harry replied evenly as he cracked the door open.

"I don't know, they seemed pretty mad at Hannah last night for cooking dinner." Hermione offered. Harry shook his head.

'All the more reason for them to want to cook breakfast." With this, Harry gave a push at the heavy doors, which swung open slowly to reveal-

"Good morning!" Hannah said brightly as she deftly flipped pancakes onto a growing stack. Harry smiled at her before shyly walking up to her.

"Good morning." Harry murmured as he breathed in the aroma of cooking bacon. But… there seemed to be something off about the smell.

"Turkey bacon." Hannah explained when Harry turned questioning eyes towards her. "I already have regular bacon placed under a heating charm for you lot on the table. But I happen to like turkey bacon a whole lot more than I like regular bacon." Harry made a face at the sizzling meat. Turkey bacon?

"Good morning!" Sirius sing songed as he swept out of the fireplace. Before he and Remus had left the night before Hannah had been sure to set up a floo connection between there and Grimuald Place… and to extend an invitation to breakfast of course. As Sirius rushed over to hug Harry and even Hermione, Hannah was not surprised to see Remus slip quietly out of the fireplace at a much calmer, much less dramatic pace.

"Good morning. Breakfast is almost done. Go ahead and start eating." Hannah coaxed. They all headed into the dining room, though Remus made sure to lightly pass his fingers across her just barley exposed lower back. She shivered, hoping he didn't notice. The 18 year old could hardly believe this was happening to her. While she had known that her mate was back here in England, she had expected more reluctance from him. But she had also expected her brother to doubt her more than he had. Sirius she could understand, he was always trying to look at the bright side of things, but the others perplexed her. However, she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. With this in mind, she grabbed her plate of turkey bacon and headed into the other room to eat breakfast with her newly reunited family.

* * *

We have all heard the cliché's about how hard ot is to get a woman to leave the house, how much time it takes. And yet, as Hannah and Hermione stood at the bottom of the stairs, Hermione wondered at the truth to that. They had told the boys they were leaving half an hour ago, and yet they were still waiting.

"Harry James Potter, get your arse down here this moment!" Hannah growled up the stairs and Hermione hid a giggle behind her hand. She was extremely glad that Hannah felt comfortable enough with her brother to say such, for otherwise they would be standing down here for the next couple hours. When she had gotten her first Hogwarts letter, she had immediately hit the books, wanting to know as much about the world she was entering as possible. Since the letter specifically forbid the mention of any of the great families while at school, Hermione had thought it best to know what she wasn't allowed to talk about. In almost every book she had read on the subject, it talked about them being powerful, light families. What was wrong with that Hermione didn't know. The situation made itself clear to her, however, when she was called to the Headmaster's office the first night there. She was surrounded by people, most of whom she didn't know, but many who she could recognize as being first years.

"I am sure," Dumbledore had intoned seriously "You are wondering what you are doing here." Several heads had nodded and Dumbledore had launched into a large explanation of the seven great families, which as we know Hermione had already read about. It seemed she wasn't the only one who knew this information because a boy and a girl huddled in the corner in Slytherin robes rolled their eyes at the aging man.

"Each and every one of you is aware that Harry Potter has joined our ranks this year" there were several murmurs of agreement "Most of you also realize that the Potter's are very much well versed in the old ways. However, young Harry is completely ignorant of his heritage. And I plan on keeping it that way. One day in the distant future, all of you present in this room will stand around Harry as he face's Voldemort for the final time. And by then, he will know what he needs to. How much he will know, I can't tell you. But with you behind him, he shall succeed." There had been several gasps of disapproval.

"This is wrong professor!" the girl in the back in the Slytherin robes protested "He can't defend himself! He has the right to know!"

"The knowledge will only harm him." Dumbledore had seemed calm as he was condemning a young boy to death.

"If he doesn't know how to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he will die!" the young girl insisted. "My parents won't stand for this. The House of Greengrass shall just have to inform him and take him under their wing-"

"They shall not!" If you wish to leave this office with your memory intact, you shall swear silence! Harry is not to know!" Dumbledore thundered. Hermione glanced at the defiant looking girl and then the group of redheads muttering amongst themselves.

"This is ridiculous. Do you know who I am? You have no right to talk to me like this!" The Slytherin boy protested.

"Dumbledore," and angry looking Hufflepuff strode forward. "Eventually this will come out, weather you erase our memories or place us under a spell. You will lose your position as Headmaster. You do not hold the right to do this to us. Zambini is the head of his house. You're station is below his, yet you insist on treating him and us like this!" The girl was absolutely livid. One of the older identical red head stepped forward.

"Headmaster, Miss. Bones has a point. Also, it is illegal to force a minor to take an oath such as this. Professor Dumbledore, you can't do this." He insisted as one of his brothers, the older one, attempted to sneak out the door.

"Obliviate." Dumbledore said calmly, pointing his wand at the turned back of the red head who was attempting to run for help. The students gasped as his form crumpled to the ground. "This is no joke. You will take the oath or you will meet the same fate as Mr. Weasley. His fate has been sealed, and you will find it shall not be as pleasant as it would have been had he simply sworn his oath. None of you are strong enough to fight me, even all together. Swear your oath or pay the consequences."

Unfortunately, this did not leave the children with much choice. If there was any chance they could help the boy wonder when he grew older, they would take it. And when the time came, they would bring the Headmaster down. A time that Hermione knew, as she stood in the front hall of Potter Manor, was approaching fast. She heard two sets of feet thundering the floor above, obviously headed towards the grand stair case.

"Hermione," Hannah said softly, startling the younger girl "Grandpa Dumbledore is sick. He has only Harry's interest at heart. But there is literally something wrong with his mind that is warping things. He will be taken care of. Please don't worry about it. Have fun. Be a child while you can. The war is approaching and time is going to slip away from you. So enjoy this time." While she was speaking, Hannah never once turned to Hermione. Hermione had ceased to be startled at the things her best friends sister could do, although the mind reading did make her more than slightly uneasy.

"He is a menace." Hermione growled.

"He is old dear. He is long past his prime. Most wizards would have retired long ago, but Grandpa looks so fine, but he has problems in his head. But everyone is too afraid of him to say anything, so he is allowed to get away with too many things."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked, perplexed "You have been gone for so long."

"When my search for Harry lead me to the Dursley's, it made me curious as to why anyone would place a child in a home such as that. So I did some research, I watched Grandpa for a while. He is sick darling."

"He seems like a good person most of the time." Hermione whispered almost inaudibly "But I don't know that I can forgive him for everything. And I don't know that the others can either…"

"You don't have to darling. But I believe one day you will find yourself quiet able." Hannah replied kindly, once more peering up the stairs. What was taking those boys so long?

"Is he… is he really your grandfather?" Hermione asked tentively. Hannah shook her head.

"When my mother had me, she was still in school. So for the first year and a half of my life, I lived at Hogwarts. I called Professor Dumbledore Grandpa and all the other Professors were either Aunt or Uncle. So, no, he isn't REALLY my grandfather." Hannah explained with a chuckle as Harry and Sirius finally slid around the corner at the top of the stairs followed by a more sedated Remus.

"Sorry!" Harry blurted as he raced towards her. What he did not expect, however, was to be passed up by Sirius who was sliding down the banister.

"I win!" Sirius declared, turning around to find a giggling Hermione and an amused Hannah.

"No Uncle Siri, I think you will find that you didn't." standing behind the girls, lounging in the doorway that lead to the outside world, was Remus.

"No fair! We said no apparating!" Sirius cried.

"I didn't apparate. You would have heard it." Remus reasoned. Sirius snorted.

"Then how did you beat me?" Sirius demanded as Harry joined them on the landing.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Remus quipped and tossed a wink at the now blushing Hannah. It would be a long while before things finally calmed down.

A/N: And the next chapter is up. Obviously, this is still just setting everything up. And the next couple chapters are still going to be that way. But it wont be long before the action starts! For you Sirry fans, don't worry, it IS a Sirry fic... obviously. But it is going to be a while before anything happens. Harry is was to young to be thinking about things like that. So for now his relationship with Sirius is purley platonic, though he feels very attactched to Sirius and has a guess as to who his mate is. Also, this will not REALLY be a Dumbledore!Bashing fic. I know it seems like that, but it won't be. Promise. Thanks to those who have reviewed this piece and PLEASE keep reviewing! Thanks, have a great weekend!


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